Good
Morning America's George Stephanopoulos on Monday cajoled Republican
National Committee Chairman into agreeing that a GOP victory on Tuesday
wouldn't be validation for the Republican Party, using half of a
"startling" quote by Jeb Bush as proof.

Stephanopoulos began, "...The Republican Party, even though they do
seem poised for pretty big gains, is no more popular than the Democrat
Party." He continued, citing the former Florida Governor: "And even Jeb
Bush, son of the former president had a pretty startling comment in The
New York Times. He said tomorrow's results will not be a validation of
the Republican Party at all. Is he right?"

Of course, the morning show host didn't read the very next sentence from Bush's NYT interview:
"It's a repudiation of this massive overreach by President Obama and
his supporters in Congress." Stephanopoulos could have easily pressed
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, who appeared with
Steele, on this point.

Instead,
he blandly asked Kaine, "What kind of mid-course direction can we
expect from President Obama?...What changes do you think Democrats need
to make?"

In contrast, Stephanopoulos tried to make Steel squirm, grilling him about internal politics having to do with Sarah Palin:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: A pretty stunning headline in the journal
Politico, Mr. Steele, next FOR GOP leaders stopping Palin. First
paragraph, the article says, "Top Republicans, the national GOP
establishment say the 2010 campaign highlighted an urgent task that they
will begin in earnest as soon as the elections are over. Stopping Sarah
Palin." Are you part of that movement?

A transcript of the segment, which aired at 7:15am EDT, follows:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: One day to go into the midterm elections. Time
for the final debate. We have the party chairs. Republican Michael
Steele, Democrat Tim Kaine. Good morning to both of you. And, gentlemen,
let me start with each of you making the case in one sentence. Mr.
Steele, why should voters put Republicans in charge of the Congress?

MICHAEL STEELE: Because I think it's time to move in a different
direction. I think that the Republican leadership has shown that it
they're ready to listen to the people, to act on concerns and interests
that they have in communities across the country. And no longer turn a
tone deaf ear to things like health care and the environment and
education issues. I think this is an important opportunity for us to
transition from the course that we are on right now where we are looking
to redistribute wealth by the government, and invest that wealth,
instead, in small business owners and families and communities who know
better how to move us into prosperity.

STEPHANOPOULOS: One long sentence. But thank you. Democrat rebuttal?

TIM KAINE: Well, George, look, the Democrats have been doing the heavy
lifting at the toughest time in America's economy since the 1930s to
turn the economy around from shrinking to growing, increase the values
in the stock market, return us to job growth. While the Republicans have
been standing in the way, not seeing past the end of their no [sic] and
pursuing a purely partisan agenda. America needs a heavy lifting,
problem solving party, not a partisan leadership in the House.

STEPHANOPOULOS:
So far, it appears, though, Mr. Kaine, that the voters who have come
out don't seem to agree. About two, 20 percent of voters who have voted
so far and it looks like they're going for Republicans over Democrats by
47 to 43 percent.

KAINE: Well, George, actually we do some pretty intense modeling on
early voting at the DNC and in most states, actually, we feel the
Democrats are doing pretty well. In most case, Democrats are exceeding
Republicans and we're exceeding our own models. And in your own poll
that I think you guys released yesterday, what we're seeing the gap for
Republicans and the generic congressional ballot has been cut from 13
down to four points among likely voters in the last six weeks. And we
now have an edge among registered voters. That's why we're so focused on
turnout here at the end.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That is true, Mr. Steele, and beyond that, the
Republican Party, even though they do seem poised for pretty big gains,
is no more popular than the Democrat Party. And even Jeb Bush, son of
the former president had a pretty startling comment in The New York
Times. He said tomorrow's results will not be a validation of the
Republican Party at all. Is he right?

STEELE: I think there's some degree of truth to that. I think, you
know, I've just spent the last six weeks on a bus touring the country.
And I think there is a degree of truth in that. I think the American
people right now are much more skeptical of the direction that the
President and Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid are taking the country. But they
also have some concerns about the direction that Republicans will they
ever lead when they take control of the Congress in 2011. So, I think
there's, I think there's a serious, you know, concern that the people
have more broadly speaking about both parties in the direction they
lead. The one thing I can offer is that the Republican Party has spent
the past 18 months listening to the American people. You've seen that
reflected in proposals that Paul Ryan and others have introduced that
have been, in many cases, rejected by the Democrat leadership in the
House and Senate. So we're hoping now for a fresh start with the
American people. And if we don't, and this has been the word that I've
gotten across the country, if we don't live up to those expectations,
then we will have a problem in two years. But right now, the people are
looking to us to move in the right direction. And that's what we're
prepared to do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Tim
Kaine, we got some candor there from Michael Steele. Let's hear some
from you as well. You met with President Obama yesterday. We now know
that the weekend before the 2006 midterm elections, President Bush was
already preparing for a midterm correction. He was firing Donald
Rumsfeld. He was hiring Secretary Gates as Secretary of Defense. What
kind of mid-course direction can we expect from President Obama?

KAINE: Well, George, that's for the president to announce, not me. We
in Cleveland and flew back together. The President is upbeat about the
rallies and how they've gone and the energy. And he's also very, very
happy by the work that's been done by Democrats out in the field. He has
a good sense of perspective about the challenge of midterm elections
and about the need going forward to make some adjustments and
corrections. And you'll see those play out over the course of the next
few weeks. But he's got a good perspective about, pride in
accomplishments but also now is time to make some adjustments.

STEPHANOPOULOS: What changes do you think Democrats need to make?

KAINE: Well, look, I'm going to led the President talk about what
should be done at the White House. I think the Democrats need to be
proud of the President, their accomplishments and proud of their party.
And, to some degree what I've seen in this campaign, overwhelmingly the
Democrats are, but there have been some who have kind of been holding
their own accomplishments at arm's length. And I think that's good to
run proud of what you are and what you've done. And I think Democrats
need to do that a little bit more.

STEPHANOPOULOS: A pretty stunning headline in the journal Politico,
Mr. Steele, next FOR GOP leaders stopping Palin. First paragraph, the
article says, "Top Republicans, the national GOP establishment say the
2010 campaign highlighted an urgent task that they will begin in earnest
as soon as the elections are over. Stopping Sarah Palin." Are you part
of that movement?

STEELE: Oh, heck no! And let me make something very clear here. I think
it's part of the Washington noise that so frustrates the American
people. If you're not willing to put your name with your comments, then
there's no validity to it. All of these anonymous sources who are
running around talking about this, that, and the other thing. What's
going to happen to Sarah Palin. What isn't going to happen to Sarah
Palin. Put your name next to the quote and then have a conversation with
Sarah Palin. Until then, leave it along. All this kind of this
dissension and frustrations within the party is not doing anything to
get Republicans elected tomorrow. So, until we get that job done, let's
not worry about 2012.

- Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter

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